Several tailgating tents fell over, with debris floating through the floodwaters Wednesday, Aug. 11 in the Iowa State Center parking lot. Water continued to fill the area as the South Skunk River and Squaw Creek
reached record levels. Water damaged several buildings in the Iowa State Center complex, including Hilton Coliseum. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

A tale of two cities

By Jessica.Opoien
@iowastatedaily.com

I

t was a tale of two cities as Ames residents discovered that days of rain had
split the town in two. In some areas,
people could come and go freely — but for
others, the only way out was by boat.
Storms descended on Ames the evening of Aug. 10. The deluge was not unlike
those the town had seen in the days before,
but the rain that fell from Tuesday into
Wednesday — 3.86 inches ­— was enough to

push flooding to record levels.
The South Skunk River at U.S. Highway
30 crested at about 10 a.m. Aug. 11, setting
a new record at 26.72 feet. The previous
record, 25.57 feet, was recorded on June
27, 1975. The Squaw Creek at Lincoln Way
crested at about 8 a.m. Aug. 11, at 18.13 feet
— falling shy of the record, 18.54 feet, set on
June 9, 1993.
As the floodwaters began to recede,
Ames residents and businesses felt the
impact. People were evacuated from their
homes and workplaces. A boil order sent

people flocking to grocery stores to prepare
for the impending limits on water consumption.
Four days after the boil order was instated, it was lifted with the announcement
that all water samples had tested negative
for bacteria.
The costs of damage to facilities such as
Iowa State’s Hilton Coliseum and some local businesses remain unknown.
Cleaning service vans are now a familiar
sight around Ames, as businesses attempt
to repair and reopen.

A group of friends play in a flooded area of the Southeast Intramural Fields on Tuesday, Aug. 10. Photo: Logan
Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

TUESDAY

2

The ISU campus, which shut down for
one day, awaits the arrival of about 28,000
students for the start of classes Aug. 23. In
some places, Iowa State’s intramural fields
resemble lakes. Other parts of campus appear untouched by disaster.
A Presidential Disaster Declaration for
Individual Assistance has been granted to
29 Iowa counties, including Story County.
Aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will come for those who
need it, but for some, recovery won’t begin
until the floodwaters have dried.

Jack, the dog, owned by Kevin Charlson of Ames, plays in the floodwaters of Squaw Creek
on Tuesday, Aug. 10, at Brookside Park. Photo: Rebekka Brown/Iowa State Daily

The wooden court in Hilton Coliseum floats on the surface of approximately 10 feet of floodwaters Thursday, Aug. 12. Crews were pumping water out of the building and were still unable to access some of the
lower areas, including the locker rooms. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

Article as published on Flood Day 1,
Aug. 11
Women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly
was at Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday and
witnessed a “sad” scene: the basketball and
volleyball court rising with the floodwaters.
“It’s hard not to cry a little bit. A lot of
people have worked really hard,” he said.
“People changed offices, and there’s a lot of
good things going on in that building.”
Fennelly said the usual eight-minute
trip from his home to Hilton took an hour
Wednesday morning.
The water has risen to a height between
6 and 8 feet, likely destroying locker rooms
and threatening to reach the basketball offices.
Because of the flooding, the volleyball
team has moved practice to West Towne
Courts, at 1005 Dickinson Ave.
Volleyball coach Christy JohnsonLynch said she and her staff were also busy
helping players find new dorms.
“It’s not pretty right now,” she said.
Fennelly talked to Johnson-Lynch and
was unsure about what’s next for Hilton
Coliseum.
“I’m sure that [the volleyball team] is going to have some long-term discussions,”

he said. “I know today, when I was with
Christy, they were trying to find some place
to practice. I don’t know what they’ll do.”
Fennelly said he doesn’t think the flooding will affect the women’s basketball practice schedule.
“We don’t practice until October, so we
have a little time,” he said. “But in the short
term, your focus has to be just hoping that
structurally the building is fine.”
Men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg
was not able to get to Hilton Coliseum on
Wednesday and said he doesn’t anticipate
getting there later in the day due to road
closures.
Hoiberg doesn’t believe the flooding will
affect the men’s basketball team, though.
“With the new practice facility, we’ll
be fine,” he said. “It shouldn’t affect us too
much.”
Hoiberg was on the team after the flooding in 1993 and said things returned to normal fairly quickly.
“It had more of an effect on us because
we didn’t have a practice facility back then,”
he said.
Hoiberg said he doesn’t foresee any
long-term damage that might prevent the
team from playing there this season.
“I remember the last time, they made
strides very quickly as far as getting everything back in order,” he said. “I’m confident
they’ll do quick work and get Hilton back
rolling here soon.”

Debris floats in the loading dock Thursday, Aug. 12, on the east side of Hilton Coliseum. At the time,
floodwaters were considered a threat to Hilton’s locker rooms and potential threat to the basketball
offices. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

The Iowa State Center parking lot is covered by several feet of floodwaters, leaving several portable toilets floating through the area. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

Iowa State Daily | Athletics | 3

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

SPORTS

The ISU soccer field will need repairs before the team can begin practicing or playing on the field. Nets had to be replaced, and the stands needing washing after the area was submerged in water following the
Wednesday, Aug. 11 flooding. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

Athletic department begins recovery
By Jake.Lovett
@iowastatedaily.com
Article as published on Flood Day 2, Aug. 12
The wooden floor inside Hilton Coliseum floated on top
of an estimated 12 feet of water Wednesday.
Thanks to crews pumping water out of the building
since 9 a.m. Thursday, the water level was estimated to be
down to 10 feet by Thursday afternoon.
ISU associate athletic director Nick Britton said the
athletic department will work to remove all of the water
from the building before assessing the damage further.
“We’ve got to get all this water out and then assess the
situation and get everybody in here that we need to help us
do that,” Britton said.
Britton said the timetable surrounding water removal
depended on a number of things, including whether the
water level comes up again with the predicted rainfall Friday. He also said the crews may employ the use of more
pumps later in the removal process.
The flooding not only has caused damage in Hilton, but
has completely flooded the ISU Soccer Complex, forcing
both the volleyball and soccer squads to find other locations to prepare for their upcoming seasons.
Steve Malchow, senior associate athletic director for
communications, said the ISU volleyball team has been
conducting practice at West Towne Courts and the soccer
team is considering moving practice to some outdoor fields
near Ankeny. In the meantime, both the soccer and football

teams have moved some
practices to the Bergstrom
Indoor Facility.
The water inside the coliseum has left the Cyclones’
first volleyball match, the
Cardinal vs. Gold scrimmage on Aug. 21, in doubt.
However, following the
scrimmage, the Cyclones’
first regular season match
at home is not until Sept. 3.
Meanwhile, the ISU
soccer team has a match
scheduled Aug. 20, but due
to the condition of the field
the game likely will have
to be moved. Malchow dismissed Jack Trice Stadium
as an option for the soccer match, saying “football
tears it up anyway.”
“We’re looking at all of
our options right now, but
the immediate thing is trying to take care of all of their
practices,” Malchow said.
Going forward, no timetables have been laid out

COMMENTARY

for repairs to Hilton or any
other damaged facilities.
Right now, the extent
of damages are not even
known as the lower levels
of the arena are still underwater.
“It’s a little frustrating
because we still don’t know
what we’re up against,”
Malchow said. “It’s this
week’s challenge. It’s a significant one, but we’ve got
no option. We’ve got to deal
with it.”
Several key aspects of
the arena are still underwater, including the locker
rooms, the production
rooms used for running
the coliseum’s scoreboards
and the new volleyball offices, which hadn’t even
been completed prior to the
flooding.
Malchow
estimated
the new volleyball offices
would be “totalled,” while
the locker rooms are “prob-

ably toast.”
Athletic
department
employees also guessed
that several smaller objects
— such as media monitors
and training equipment —
also were destroyed, the
cost of which “adds up.”
“We’re
a
resilient
bunch,” Malchow said.
“This is a tough thing we’re
going to have to battle together, but there are some
strong-minded people in
this athletic department
and we’ll survive this, too.
It’s a challenge, but one that
we have to embrace and
we’ll succeed and make our
way through it.”
— Jack Trice Stadium is
one of few ISU athletic facilities not greatly affected
by the flooding, and Malchow said there have been
no significant damages noticed at the stadium.
While nothing at the stadium will keep Iowa State

from matching up with
Northern Illinois on Sept.
2, Britton said that water in
the surrounding areas may
force a change in parking
locations.
“We have general parking lots and Cyclone Club
lots that park on the grass,
and they’re flooded right
now,” Britton said.
Some of the technical
operations for Jack Trice’s
scoreboard are run out of
Hilton Coliseum, adding to
potential snags leading up
to the season.
“There are a lot of pieces
we need to evaluate in the
coming days and weeks to
see where we’re at,” Malchow said.
— Malchow said the ISU
athletic ticket office will be
closed Friday, to allow for
repairs to be made in that
facility. The ticket offices
will be open for operation
again on Monday.

FOOTBALL

Flood tests strength
of Cyclone sports
Teams scramble to regroup, rebuild after record rainfall
By Jeremiah.Davis
@iowastatedaily.com
Article as published
on Flood Day 3, Aug. 13
It’s hard to believe that
just a few days ago one of
the biggest concerns the
people of Ames had was
how to deal with road construction.
Now? Now it’s hard to
find drinkable water.
The old saying goes, “You
don’t know what you’ve got
till it’s gone.” That couldn’t
be more evident today.
Ames and Iowa State are
facing the toughest challenge they’ve seen in recent
memory. On Wednesday, I
arrived in Ames to the utter
devastation on University
Avenue and around Hilton
Coliseum and Jack Trice
Stadium.
It was a truly sad sight
to see. My feelings echoed
that of women’s basketball
coach Bill Fennelly, who
said, “It’s hard not to cry a
little bit.”
And now, days after torrential rains rocked Ames,
Iowa State and the Ames
community have to regroup
and begin to rebuild. How
fast it gets done and how
much it will cost is anyone’s
guess.
As of Thursday afternoon, water inside Hilton
Coliseum was approximately 10 feet high, or just
below the scoreboards in
the corners of the lower
level. Hilton staff had four
large pumps running, try-

ing to remove water, but
with such an amount and
only four pumps, there’s no
telling how long that will
take.
Assistant Athletic Director Nick Britton led
various members of the
media on a brief look at Hilton on Thursday, and when
asked how long he thought
it might take to drain the
water, he gave an exasperated laugh, shrugged his
shoulders and said, “I have
no idea.”
That theme — one of
uncertainty and doubt —
is one common amongst
ISU officials. They’re just
as confused, frustrated and
exhausted as anyone, maybe more so in some cases.
With the water at its
current level, it’s likely that
all the offices and locker
rooms on the lower levels
of Hilton are destroyed.
It begs the question: How
much will it all cost?
But that’s just one more
unanswerable
question.
Until the water is removed
and they can assess the
situation, there simply is
no way of knowing exactly
how much it will end up being.
However, they remain
as upbeat as possible. Steve
Malchow, senior associate
athletic director for communications, was also at
the mini-tour of Hilton on
Thursday afternoon. He
joked that they had wanted to renovate the locker
rooms anyway.
But Malchow did stress

the gravity of the task
ahead. The athletic department has two programs
that are immediately affected by the flooding.
The volleyball team has
been forced to relocate to
West Towne Courts, and
the women’s soccer team
will have to as well, as their
field — along with Lied Recreation Athletic Center — is
submerged. Malchow said
the immediate worry is
where the teams will practice, and they’ll worry about
games second. But with
ISU soccer having its opener Aug. 20, there is precious
little time in which to figure
things out.
Looking forward, there
is little doubt amongst
those within the athletic
department that things will
be fixed and return to normal. Tailgaters may have
to deal with mosquitoes
and park in the grass somewhere, but don’t doubt that
those who support and love
Iowa State will continue to
do so.
Until then, it’s up to
Mother Nature to decide if
more action has to be taken.
It’s times like these
when the true character
and resiliency of a university and its members come
out.
I think Bill Fennelly said
it best on Twitter:
“Love this quote--if it
truly means something
you WILL find a way-if not
you will find an excuse. We
WILL find a way- NO excuses at Iowa State.”

ISU football players move sandbags into position Wednesday, Aug. 11, at the Jacobson Building. No
water entered the building. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

Football players aid
in sandbagging efforts
By Jeremiah.Davis
Kari.Dockum
Torey.Robinson
@iowastatedaily.com
Article as published on Flood Day
1, Aug. 11
The football team aided in flooding
efforts Wednesday morning by placing
sandbags around the Jacobson Building
and the surrounding area.
Coach Paul Rhoads said players arrived for team activities at 6 a.m. and immediately began helping in the effort.
“Some guys were here all night and
the rest of us got here early this morning,”

Rhoads said. “Those football players that
were here before the roads closed ... as the
water started to rise, we went to work and
started sandbagging.”
Rhoads said nothing inside the Jacobson Building had flooded yet. He also said
that as long as the indoor practice field
stays dry, the team can practice and will
do so Wednesday afternoon.
“Right now we’re waiting for the water
to hold and begin to recede,” Rhoads said.
“We’re obviously not doing anything we
were scheduled to do today at this point,
but it won’t put us behind.”
The water won’t stop practice. Regardless of the condition of the practice field,
“we’ll figure out something,” Rhoads said.

4 | Lied Rec | Iowa State Daily

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

RECREATION SERVICES

Water flooded the Maple-Willow-Larch and Lied Recreation Athletic Center parking lots and the nearby street Wednesday. Sandbags were put up to prevent further water damage outside Lied, and the
facility opened its doors again Monday. Photo: Rebekka Brown/Iowa State Daily

Lied cleanup begins
By Jake.Lovett
@iowastatedaily.com

ServiceMaster cleanup crews help to remove the water from the indoor track Friday,
Aug. 13 at Lied Recreation Athletic Center. Many in-season teams are directly impacted
by the water damage at Lied and will be forced to find other facilities to hold practices.
Photo: Rebekka Brown/Iowa State Daily

ServiceMaster cleanup crews help to remove the water from the indoor track Friday,
Aug. 14 at Lied Recreation Athletic Center. Lied was open for use Monday, with limited
access. Photo: Rebekka Brown/Iowa State Daily

Article as published on Flood Day 3, Aug. 13
Numerous workers were inside Lied Recreation Athletic Center on Friday morning, cleaning up floodwaters and other damage
caused by flooding earlier in the week.
Mike Giles, director of Recreation Services since June 1, has
been working with crews from ServiceMaster since Thursday
morning recovering from the estimated 18-24 inches of water that
was inside the building.
“Pretty much, the entire first floor has been compromised,”
Giles said.
Giles said all the wooden racquet ball courts and carpeting in
Recreation Services offices have been destroyed and need replacing.
“At some point, those will have to come out and go back in,” he
said.
Nearly all of the equipment storage areas on the first floor will
likely need repaired or replaced in the coming weeks, as well.
Meanwhile, the director did not yet know the extent of the damage done to Lied’s indoor track or artificial turf.
“We’ve lost little things to big things,” Giles said. “It’s not really a
matter at this point to be able to pinpoint specifics.”
Giles said that all sandbagging efforts done at Lied were “completely ineffective,” as some areas outside the building had water
levels well above the height of the sandbags.
There was damage to the roll-up door going onto the track, as
water got behind the sandbags and pressure on the door “basically
pushed the door in.”
Giles said he thought the damage to the door was the main
breach into the building, but also indicated there was water “bubbling up” from the sub-structure of the building.
“It wasn’t just a matter of the water coming, it was coming from
all around,” Giles said.
Recreation Service staff members were first inside the building between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Wednesday, and then service crews
were inside to begin cleanup Thursday morning.
Thursday, crews opened doors to the building and allowed water to flow out, meaning there has been no pumping of water as has
been done at Hilton Coliseum.
Giles said Recreation Services hopes to have Lied open early
next week, but first must evaluate safety of students — i.e., mold
and bacteria in the building — before giving students access to the
third floor “as quickly as possible.”
“With us moving forward and students coming back to campus,
our goal is to give [students] access in here as soon as possible,”
Giles said.
Giles said Beyer Hall received no damage in the storm and will
be open again Monday, but access to the building will be limited, as
there will be no access to locker rooms or showers. The pool inside
Beyer Hall will also be closed for the time being.
Further extensive damage has been suffered on the outdoor
intramural fields, such as the ones next to Maple-Willow-Larch —
still completely underwater as of Friday morning — and the southwest fields near Jack Trice Stadium.
The southwest fields are now what Giles described as “debris
fields,” as the areas not submerged in water are littered with portable toilets and other debris that drifted to the fields.
Recreation Services began working with the university on insurance claims to help finance repair and recovery for damaged
facilities.
Giles said the department will begin meeting with adjusters
over the next few days to determine the extent of the damage.
Students who would like to exercise during the time Lied is
closed might have another option.
Brett Halverson, manager of Ames Racquet and Fitness on S.
17th Street, said the clubs will allow anyone with access to Lied to
use their facilities for free until Lied is once again operational.
“We know that this is a stressful time for a lot of people and we
believe in exercise and health and fitness, and we think this is the
right thing to do,” Halverson said.
Students, staff and faculty who have access to Lied can come
into any one of the three Ames offices to get a temporary pass that
is good until Lied’s facilities are up and running.
Despite all of the rainfall, construction is still ongoing at State
Gym. Giles said there have been delays on the site due to the high
amounts of rainfall in Ames this summer, but the project is still on
track to be completed in early fall of 2011.
The State Gym project is entirely independent from flood recovery efforts, so there should be no delays caused at State Gym.
“Without any type of major catastrophe that we have no control
over, I see no initial impact on the continuation of construction,”
Giles said.

Iowa State Daily | Water | 5

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE

A student takes a 24-pack of water Friday, Aug. 13, at Frederiksen Court. Residents were allotted a case of water. The boil order was put into effect after eight water mains broke during the flooding on Wednesday, Aug. 11. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

Wanting water

When it all began...
By Eddie.Leonard and Brian.Smith
@iowastatedaily.com

Article as published on Flood Day 1, Aug. 11
City of Ames officials held an afternoon news conference to update the city on the flooding situations.
Mayor Ann Campbell said “unprecedented amounts
of water” following several days of heavy rain caused the
flooding.
At some point during the day, city engineers noticed
a “dramatic” drop in the water pressure, indicating a
possible water main break. A break was discovered
under Squaw Creek. Because the break occurred near
floodwaters, the city shut down the water plant to eliminate the potential for contaminating the water.
Tests have not confirmed any contaminants in the
water, but the city said until the system is operational,
all water should be assumed contaminated. City officials also have asked residents to contact them if water
is spotted bubbling up, as this could indicate another
water main leak.
The water pressure is being kept low so the city can
monitor for further leaks. Residents who do have water
pressure are reminded to treat the water as contaminated and are asked not to flush toilets or take showers.
Water is expected to be usable for toilets and showers at some point tonight, but will not be considered
sanitary for three to seven days.
Iowa Governor Chet Culver has toured the area and
the city is coordinating with the state to create a potable
water distribution center.
Most grocery stores have run out of water, but are
attempting to replenish supplies as quickly as possible.
Police Chief Chuck Cychosz said his department has
performed “in excess of 100” rescues. He said police, fire
and emergency medical services are fully functional.
Residents are reminded to stay out of floodwaters,
which can be extremely dangerous. They are also asked
to avoid sightseeing, especially in vehicles.
Kevin Anderson, Ames city sanitarian, said restaurants have been asked to close voluntarily.
He reminded people not to use tap water for cooking, drinking or cleaning dishes. Anderson also said not
to use ice machines, beverage dispensers or automatic
dishwashers.
The city tentatively plans to hold another news conference at 8 p.m. at city hall.
™

online

Complete coverage:

For all stories and photos related to the
flooding, visit
iowastatedaily.com/flood10

Customers at the west Ames Hy-Vee buy packages of water after the water plant temporarily shut
down Wednesday, Aug. 11. The water plant temporarily shut down due to flooding. Photo: Moriah
Smith/Iowa State Daily

disaster recovery
■■
■■

■■
■■

Call your hauler to take away damaged
household items.
Return sandbags to the sandbag
stations at South Duff Avenue and
Southeast Third Street or the S. Dayton
Avenue and Southeast 16th Street.
Water distribution sites will close today
at 5 p.m.
Throw plastic bottles in the regular trash; it will be delivered to the
resource recovery system where all
bottles will be recycled and turned into
electricity.

boil water advisory
■■
■■
■■
■■
■■
■■
■■
■■

Do not wash dishes, even in residential
and commercial dishwashers.
Do not drink, cook with, brush teeth
with water or use it to make ice.
If water is needed, boil first or use
bottled water.
Water distribution is still available at
these locations:
North Walmart, 3015 Grand Ave.
Sam’s Club, 305 Airport Road
McFarland Clinic West, 3600 Lincoln
Way
Lot 61A by the Towers dorms

water distribution
The city has set up four water distribution
points throughout the city. The water is limited to one gallon per person per day and is
available at the following locations from 7
a.m. to 10 p.m.:
■■ Sam’s Club on Airport Road
■■ McFarland Clinic West, next to the west
Hy-Vee
■■ Iowa State Lot 61, located next to the
Towers Residence Association
■■ Walmart on Grand Avenue

river levels
As of Saturday morning, river levels are as
follows:
■■ Squaw Creek at Lincoln Way: 4 feet
lower
■■ Skunk River at Riverside: 6 feet lower
■■ Skunk River at U.S. Highway 30: 2 feet
lower

After a rush from Ames residents to buy bottled water, the Hy-Vee in west Ames posted a sign announcing it had run out of water Wednesday, Aug. 11. Trucks later brought in cases of water that evening. Photo:
Moriah Smith/Iowa State Daily

6 | Water | Iowa State Daily

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

WATER MADNESS TIMELINE

Ames water safe
for personal use
By Edward.Leonard
@iowastatedaily.com
Article as published on Flood Day 1, Aug. 11
Ames’ water is now safe to use for showering and
other personal uses, but is still not safe to drink.
The city of Ames held a follow-up news conference this evening concerning the nature of public
utilities and their restoration to usable conditions
in the community. The city identified two large water main breaks and four smaller breaks in the water system. All of these leaks were closed off, and no
more leaks are thought to be present.
the rest of the story’s online, at iowastatedaily.com

Workers at the downtown Fareway rush out a pallet of bottled water Wednesday, Aug. 11. Many local grocery stores had to get emergency
shipments of bottled water to keep up with demand. Photo: Manfred Brugger/Iowa State Daily

How to survive without water
By Sarah.Binder
and Jessie.Opoien
@iowastatedaily.com

Article as published on Flood
Day 1, Aug. 11
Preparing safe water:
From city of Ames news release:
“To properly boil water, it should be
brought to a roiling boil for three to
five minutes, and then allowed to cool.
Boiled water may have a ‘flat’ taste due
to a decrease in oxygen content. Pouring the water back and forth between
two containers will help restore a
more normal taste.”
“If customers are unable to boil
water, water may also be disinfected
by using household liquid bleach.
Only regular household liquid bleach
that contains 5.25% sodium hypochlorite should be used. Do not use
scented bleaches, colorsafe bleaches
or bleaches with added cleaners. Add
16 drops of bleach per gallon of water,
stir and let stand for 30 minutes. If the
water does not have a slight bleach
odor, repeat the dosage and let stand
another 15 minutes.”
Showering:
City officials said at a press conference that water is expected to be usable for toilets and showers at some
point tonight, but will not be consid-

Community asked
to conserve water
By Brian.Smith and Eddie.Leonard
@iowastatedaily.com
Article as published on Flood Day 2, Aug. 12
The city has repaired and isolated all water main
breaks, but full pressure cannot be restored due to
water usage by the community. The city is asking
residents to make a “temporary lifestyle change” and
conserve as much water as possible. Two more water
main leaks were found, totaling eight. The new leaks
have since been shut off. Due to the shut-off pipelines
and a lack of power in several major wells, the water
flow in west Ames has been reduced by 60 percent.
the rest of the story’s online, at iowastatedaily.com

Flushing process
begins in hydrants
By Abby.Barefoot
@iowastatedaily.com
Stacks of bottled water outside Hawthorne Market and Cafe in Frederiksen Court. Water
distribution centers throughout Ames worked to get drinking water to residents. Photo:
Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

ered sanitary for three to seven days.
Buying bottled water:
From the press conference: Iowa
Governor Chet Culver has toured the
area and the city is coordinating with
the state to create a potable water distribution center.
Most grocery stores have run out of
water, but are attempting to replenish
supplies as quickly as possible.

Pets:
From the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, “Keep children
and pets out of the affected area until
cleanup has been completed.”
Standing water:
From the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, “Wading in flood
waters can also be a cause of infection
or result in a variety of injuries.”

EXTENDING A HELPING HAND

Article as published on Flood Day 3, Aug. 13
Ames water tanks have enough water to begin the
hydrant flushing process.
Since multiple water main breaks emptied Ames
water towers and compromised city drinking water earlier this week, the Ames Water and Pollution
Control Department continues to work to restore
safe drinking water to homes and businesses. Residents should not expect drinkable tap water until
early next week.
the rest of the story’s online, at iowastatedaily.com

Water restriction
will be removed
By Chelsea.Davis
@iowastatedaily.com
Article as published on Flood Day 4, Aug. 14
As of 2 p.m. today, the city of Ames will lift the restriction on volume of water usage.
Residents may begin doing laundry, showering
and cleaning up any messes created by the floodwaters.
“Overnight flushing operations continued and we
made tremendous progress,” said John Dunn, director of water and pollution control.
“At around 10:15 p.m. last night ISU completed its
flushing of Central Campus.”
Dunn said 88 water quality samples have been obtained throughout the community and 90 more will
be taken today.
“The results will be used to lift the boil water advisory,” Dunn said.
He stressed, though, that only if all of the samples
come back displaying no signs of contamination will
the boil water advisory be lifted.
If not, the city of Ames would need another 30
hours to obtain more samples and retest for contamination.
A four-inch main break on Murray Drive occurred last night but was repaired by 11 p.m.
the rest of the story’s online, at iowastatedaily.com

Customers at the west Ames Hy-Vee hurry to get water after the water plant was shut down in Ames on Wednesday, Aug.
11. The water plant closed due to the flooding in Ames. Photo: Moriah Smith/Iowa State Daily

Water delivery
available for some
By Brian.Smith
@iowastatedaily.com

As published on Flood Day 2, Aug. 12

The city of Ames and the American Red Cross
are delivering water to Ames residents who meet
certain criteria.
Residents wanting water delivered must meet
one of the following requirements according to a
news release issued by the city:
■■

■■
■■
■■

■■

They are on Social Security Disability, Social Security Supplemental Security Income or Veteran’s
Affairs Disability
Have a doctor’s statement or a case worker’s
name
Are 75 years old or older
Anyone meeting the criteria and wanting water
delivered is asked to call Diane Voss at 515-2395105.
Unqualified residents still are able to pick up
water at one of four distribution points in Ames.
the rest of the story’s online, at iowastatedaily.com

Volunteers help
to pass out water
By Micaela.Cashman
@iowastatedaily.com

As published on Flood Day 2, Aug. 12
Volunteers from Sigma Kappa sorority worked
to pass out gallons and bottles of water to Ames residents Wednesday in the southwest corner of Iowa
State’s Lot 61.
Sigma Kappa members were recruited by Greek
Services, which worked with the ISU Police to coordinate the volunteering.
Lieutenant Carrie Jacobs of ISU Police said water will be distributed from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. every day until it no longer is necessary. Distribution
centers are scattered throughout the Ames community at North Grand Walmart, Sam’s Club on
Airport Road, McFarland Clinic West next to West
Hy-Vee and Lot 61 by Wallace Hall.
Jacobs said the state of Iowa and multiple Midwestern agencies are donating water to Ames.
the rest of the story’s online, at iowastatedaily.com

Boil order revoked,
flush out plumbing
By Chelsea Davis
@iowastatedaily.com
Article as published on Flood Day 5, Aug. 15
The boil order for Ames residents and businesses
has been lifted.
After a total of 173 water samples all tested negative for bacteria, Clark Thompson, engineer for Facilities Planning and Management; Phil Propes, superintendent of the water treatment plant; and the
Iowa Department of Natural Resources determined
the boil order is no longer in effect.
John Dunn, director of the department of water
and pollution control, said residents should open
each faucet in their residences fully and let it run until it runs cold to make sure it is completely flushed
out.
“Residents should run the dishwasher once with
no dishes and throw the first two batches of ice
away,” Dunn said.
Dunn also said residents should run the shower
turned completely to hot until it runs cold, “just like
your 14-year-old just used the shower.”
Dunn became choked up when he spoke of the efforts of his staff and the community to return Ames
to a semi-normal state.
the rest of the story’s online, at iowastatedaily.com

Iowa State Daily | People | 7

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

COMMUNITY

Matthew Jacobson-Fisher, 6, left, and his brother Benjamin, 2, play in the sand used for sandbags Wednesday, Aug. 11 off of South Duff Avenue. Their mother, Matia Jacobson, works at Target and had brought
them out to help. Jacobson said, “It’s good to show community help and how far volunteerism can go.” Photo: Eloisa Perez-Lozano/Iowa State Daily

Ames community reacts
By Torey.Robinson
@iowastatedaily.com
Article as published on Flood Day 3,
Aug. 13
Tom Hummer was just concerned about
getting to work Wednesday morning.
Hummer, who was scheduled to open at
Dairy Queen on Orion Drive, drove for more
than an hour from Franklin Avenue — a trip
that lasts 10 minutes on any other day.
“I had to try and drive County Line Road
and had to go all the way around Ada Hayden
[Heritage Park] because 13th Street was flooded,” Hummer said. “I felt like no matter what
way I went I couldn’t get to the north side of
town.”
Hummer, senior in English, made arrangements to work another shift in the afternoon,
and returned home — only to find an inch of
standing water in his basement.

“I never thought I’d say we’re lucky to only
have an inch of water in our basement,” Hummer said. “We’ll have to replace all the carpet,
but I know there were people more affected
than we were.”
Hummer’s employer had his own mess to
handle.
Allan Sorenson had to close Dairy Queen
on Wednesday due to the shutdown of the
Ames water plant.
“There’s no way we were about to serve
contaminated water to our customers,” Sorenson said.
Dairy Queen was able to reopen Thursday.
Sorenson’s home receives water from Xenia Rural Water and he is able to bring clean
water into the store for washing dishes, hands
and surfaces.
Dairy Queen is serving its full menu and
will transport clean water to the building until
Ames water is safe to drink.

Ames resident Tanner Hansen, left, Ames Middle School principal Renee Rocko, and Jared Oelmann, sophomore at Gilbert High School, ride on a tractor to pick up office supplies from a business Wednesday, Aug. 11,
off of S. Duff Avenue. Items removed from the business included records and office supplies. Photo: Eloisa
Perez-Lozano/Iowa State Daily

Kevin Charlson, of Ames, takes his dog, Jack, to play in the floodwaters of Squaw Creek on Tuesday, Aug. 10 at Brookside Park. The creek
flooded other places around Ames, such as the Boys and Girls Club
of Story County and Veenker Memorial Golf Course. Photo: Rebekka
Brown/Iowa State Daily

Heather Caruthers, graduate student in chemistry, calls up to a neighbor while retrieving
items from her apartment Wednesday, Aug. 11, at Southview Estates. Caruthers plans to stay
with a friend until the floodwaters recede and her apartment is cleaned out. Photo: Logan
Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

Ames resident Tanner Hansen, left, and his father, Butch Hansen, owner of Butch’s Amoco BP, help unload office supplies and documents from a tractor Wednesday morning off of South Duff Avenue. The tractor was provided by Speck Plumbing. Photo: Eloisa PerezLozano/Iowa State Daily

8 | People | Iowa State Daily

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

COMMUNITY

Ames resident Tanner Hansen rides on a tractor carrying office supplies and records Wednesday, Aug. 11, off of S. Duff Avenue. The tractor, provided by Speck Plumbing, made about three to five trips to rescue
more documents and then to carry sandbags to businesses. The area around S. Duff Avenue and S. Fourth Street was among the hardest hit around the Ames and ISU community. Photo: Eloisa Perez-Lozano/Iowa
State Daily

Residents begin cleanup

Insulation under a damaged mobile home in Meadow Lane Mobile Home Park dries on Friday, Aug.
13. The owner will have to strip and replace all the insulation under his mobile home. The deck of the
mobile home floated up to a tree when the floodwaters rose. The owner utilized the floodwaters and
moved the deck back toward his mobile home before the water receded. Photo: Moriah Smith/Iowa State
Daily

Cleanup crews enter the University Community Childcare building on Friday, Aug. 13. Carpets, doors
and cabinets all have to be replaced and the walls will be cut out up to two feet above ground to ensure
proper removal of damaged materials. Floodwater covered 6-8 inches of the entire building earlier in
the week, causing significant damage and forcing the center to shut down for an estimated two months
of restoration. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

Trash was deposited outside after being stripped out of Lied Recreation
Athletic Center on Monday, Aug. 16. Floodwaters may have receded, but
cleanup efforts continue. Lied opened its doors again Monday, Aug. 16,
but access was limited because of damage to the first and second floors.
Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

City workers cut into concrete to replace an electrical line Monday, Aug. 16, near the Maple-WillowLarch Intramural field. Flooding damaged the lines, which are currently located below ground, so
crews are permanently raising them to prevent future incidents. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

Boxes of salvaged toys and equipment are stacked in one of the emptied rooms before being hauled off for storage Friday, Aug. 13.
Items that were on the upper shelves and those that were made of treated wood were all that could be saved. Childcare administrators are looking for alternative places to accommodate the children in the meantime. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

Iowa State Daily | Iowa State Center | 9

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

SCHEMAN BUILDING

The basement of the Scheman Building is shown flooded Wednesday. Damages and costs remain unclear until the condition of the mechanical room equipment can be determined. Fisher Theater and Stephens
Auditorium remain up and running, and events are expected to proceed as planned. Photo: Manfred Brugger/Iowa State Daily

Flood damage unclear
By Dylan.Boyle
@iowastatedaily.com
Article as published on Flood
Day 3, Aug. 13
Officials with Iowa State Center
will have to wait until water in the
Scheman Building mechanical room
is pumped out to determine the extent
of damage to the building and how
long it will be before the building reopens.
Mark North, director of Iowa State
Center, said administrative offices
on the ground floor of the Scheman
Building took on about three ½ to four
feet of water after Tuesday night’s
storm.
The first and second floors of the
building didn’t take on any water.
Crews from ServiceMaster have
been working to pump out water in
the mechanical room and installed an
air conditioning line up to the Brunier
Art Museum on the second floor.
With water in the mechanical
room, the Scheman Building has no
power, no air conditioning and no

lighting, he said.
North said he couldn’t speculate
on the cost of damages to the building since facilities staff will have to
determine the condition of electrical
and air conditioning units submerged
in the mechanical room. After the
flood of 1993, North said the units in
the Scheman Building were replaced
with waterproof units, and he hopes
it is only a matter of washing and drying them. He said the flood damage
is very comparable to the 1993 flood,
as water levels were almost the same
outside and inside the building. Until
the room is dry, it is unclear how long
recovery will take.
“A lot is just going to depend on
what we find and when we get the water out of the mechanical room,” he
said. “Worst-case scenario, it could be
six to eight weeks.”
A berm dike installed around the
Maple-Willow-Larch residence halls
after the 1993 flood saved the building from water damage Wednesday,
and North said the idea of a similar
system around the Iowa State Center

wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“It’s been discussed a number of
times, in reality that’s a question that
really needs to be answered by the administration,” he said. “Personally, I
would love it because I don’t like doing
this.”
North said Iowa State Center staff
had been in the building and were going through wet items to determine if
they were worth salvaging. Some files,
he said, will be lost for good.
The staff has relocated its office to
CY Stephens Auditorium.
As for events in Scheman, North
said they are currently evaluating the
size and number of events scheduled
and trying to move them to other places in Ames before canceling them.
Fisher Theater, which had no damage, and Stephens Auditorium are
currently up and running. Stephens
did have some water from a sanitary
sewer backup caused by rain Monday
night that escalated during the storm
Tuesday night.
North expects events in Stephens
to go forward as planned.

AROUND TOWN
Floodwaters from the nearby Squaw Creek fill the parking
lot of the Furman Aquatic Center on Wednesday, Aug. 11. The
pool area remained dry because it was built higher than the lot
but remains closed. The city hasn’t said whether it will reopen
this summer. Photo: Moriah Smith / Iowa State Daily

SIGNATURE REQUIRED
FILE NAME: m0812amesriverlevels

ARTIST: Kelli Morris

REPORTER:

COPY DESK:

COLOR: YES

SIZE: 5C

NO

6C

Flooding in Ames
Some key areas aﬀected by ﬂooding of Squaw Creek and the Skunk River:

KEY:

Duﬀ Ave.

Clark Ave.

N

Grand Ave.

Squaw Creek

Road closed

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

Skunk
River

6th St.

Squaw Creek crested
near record level

E. Lincoln Way

Walmart
evacuated

S. 4th St.

S. 5th St.

Water tower drained
by water main break

Assisted
living
center
evacuated

Mortensen Rd.

S.E. 5th St.

Skunk River crested
at record level

Squaw Creek

S.E. 16th St.

30

Skunk
River Interstate closed

30

south to County
Hwy. 210/330th St.

1/2 mile

Source: City of Ames

UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY CHILDCARE

35

Freel Dr.

State St.

Hilton
Coliseum
ﬂooded

Dayton Ave.

E. 13th St.

Pammel Dr.

University Blvd.

Hyland Ave.

Rising waters wreak
havoc across Ames
13th St.

35

Ames river levels

Notable crests 1993 2008 Wed.

After heavy downpours three nights in a row, the Skunk River
and Squaw Creek crested Wednesday in the Ames area.

Skunk River
at Riverside Rd.

19.2

16.9 19.3

at U.S. Hwy. 30

25.5

24.7 26.7

Squaw Creek
at Lincoln Way

18.5

15.9 18.1

Crest: 26.7 feet
10 a.m. Wednesday

27 feet

OLD RECORD: 25.6 IN 1975

25
23
21

Skunk River
near Hwy. 30

Crest: 19.3 feet
9:15 a.m. Wednesday

19

RECORD:
20.9 IN 1996

FLOOD STAGE

RECORD: 18.5 IN 1993

17
15
13
11

FLOOD STAGE

Skunk River near
Riverside Rd.

Crest: 18.1 feet
8:15 a.m. Wednesday

9
FLOOD STAGE

7
5

Squaw Creek
at Lincoln Way

3
1
Sunday

Piles of toys and furniture await disposal Friday, Aug. 13, at the University Community Childcare building. While the building is being restored, 100 children will have to be moved to other locations for childcare. Officials estimate repairs could take at least two months. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

Monday

Source: National Weather Service

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday
THE REGISTER

CYRIDE

ABOVE: Officials supervised CyRide operations at the Hawthorn Community Center for most of the
day Wednesday, Aug. 11. Flooding forced CyRide to evacuate its offices and garage in the early in the
morning. Officials had to use paper maps to plan route detours and were unable to update the CyRide
website.
BELOW: CyRide buses were parked in lot 114, across 13th Street from Frederiksen Court, on Wednesday, Aug. 11. The buses were moved from the CyRide garage due to rising floodwaters.
Photos: Katie Joyce/Iowa State Daily

Rugs and floor mats have been laid across the sidewalk to dry off during cleanup at the University Community Childcare building. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

Article as published on Flood Day 3, Aug. 13
After floodwaters poured into the streets of Ames, many
businesses were out of operation, especially restaurants. With
a lack of clean water and unsafe conditions, it has been hard to
keep dining services afloat both on and off campus, but things
are looking up.
ISU Dining plans to open all of the dining centers and convenience stores as scheduled. However, they will be operating
slightly differently than normal. ISU Dining will be serving
only bottled beverages and some juice made from clean, bottled water. Food and drink will be served with disposable dinnerware to dodge the need for water to wash the dishes.
“The dining centers will be opened as scheduled,” said
Brittney Rutherford, ISU Dining marketing coordinator. “We
will be serving bottled beverages, and any big containers of
water we have are filled with clean water.”
Off-campus dining is beginning to open once again, with
the exception of those restaurants that are flooded and still
cleaning up. Other restaurants are opening with new regulations set by the city of Ames. The restaurants may open if they
have working toilets, serve only canned or bottled beverages,
and use disposable dinnerware. For some, like Hickory Park,
this means take-out only.
“We are getting much business because the media is saying
all restaurants in Ames are closed,” said Tracy Drury, Hickory
Park’s front manager. “We are serving carry-out because the
city will not let us serve dine-in. But we have 215 employees
and it is our duty to try to generate income for them.”
Qdoba Mexican Grill, on the other hand, is taking the opportunity to give back to the community in its time of need.
The restaurant has opened once again, and is providing coupons for its club members for a $5 meal deal throughout the
month of August. In addition, Qdoba is having an event from
11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Aug. 20 in which 100 percent of sales with be
donated to the American Red Cross Lincoln Way Chapter.
“I think it is important for us to give back,” said Ted Horan,
Qdoba Mexican Grill operating partner. “I don’t understand
how someone could watch TV and see what’s going on and not
want to help.”
After the rush for bottled water, grocery stores are receiving normal business and working a bit differently.
“We worked with the health inspector to make sure things
were safe,” said Monty Streit, Hy-Vee director. “We have to
boil water to wash utensils and hands, like we do for catering
and grilling, but indoor now.”
Once Hy-Vee restocked its water supply, it donated two
semis full of water to help the city provide clean water for residents.

Two residents are lifted across the floodwaters Wednesday, Aug. 11 on South Duff Avenue. Floodwaters were expected to crest that afternoon. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

Two residents wade up to Arby’s on South Duff Avenue on Wedneday, Aug. 11. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily

Target sits isolated by floodwaters Wednesday, Aug. 11. About 2 inches of standing water breached the store, causing the store to close for several days. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily